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Soil Management Conclusion In reviewing the soil types at the dairy facility,the soils all have pockets of sand sandy loam, clay loam and clay. All have substantial lavers of hardpan that have been broken up from land leveling,deep _ ripping,chiseling and discing. They also have a slow to moderate rate of water permeability and low available water capacity. In consideration of proper winter water applications to the farming fields,the waste storage system is designed to retain a worse case rainfall season. The annual rainfall in the area is purported to be 14.74 inches. The area has had higher rates of rainfall in recent years. The challenge to any dairy is to manage winter applications of waste. The total storage capacity through the winter months, the facility sites runoff and waste storage calculations were based on a rainfall of 22.78 inches of rainfall. This above average rainfall of 22.78" occurred during the 1994-1995-rainfall season,recorded at the rainfall station at the A.L. Gilbert Company, Oakdale. The main crops are to be winter oats or wheat with com for silage as a summer crop. The recommendation is to periodically deep"rip"the soil to continue the breakup of the shallow claypan layers to facilitate water and root penetration through the soil profile. Considering the soil profiles at the site,the slow to moderate permeability and the low capacity to hold water, manure solids should be applied to and worked into the soil profile to a depth of 18".This will build up the soil tilth due to an increase of organic materials to the profile.The soil should be tested to monitor the"ENR" (estimated nitrogen release),nitrate nitrogen in order to accurately calculate solid manure, nutrient laden lagoon water and commercial fertilizer to be added to the soil to provide a balance of elements for optimal plant growth and nutrient uptake. Organic materials are microbially converted over a period of years. Consequently, one application of manure solids will release nitrogen into the soil profile for approximately four year following. Amounts of nitrogen released will vary from year to year depending on soil type, seasonal temperatures and moisture. Thus,soil samples should be analyzed immediately before each planting to accurately account for residual nitrogen available for the up coming crop. Considering, in general,the low available water capability of the soils in the area, irrigation applications need to be carefully managed to control field runoff due to the slow rate of permeability. Conversely,the frequency of application needs careful attention to minimize plant wilting. ®Western Design/David Avila 2000 13